BHP volunteers transformed South Perth villas

Thanks to the huge efforts of 60 BHP Volunteers from the petroleum division, residents in our Independent Living Program were overjoyed to see their homes get a makeover last week.

Our South Perth villas are now boasting a more vibrant outlook after BHP painted the corrugated cement side and front metal fences a frog green and the property’s street-facing wall a dark terracotta.

Watch the BHP team in action including before and after photos here.

A combined 250 volunteer hours also included landscaping, mulching and mosaic works of art.

The first team experienced a delay in extra paint but stayed back to get the job done, while the second team had the added challenge of rain but were very flexible and started on the gardening tasks instead of applying the second coat of paint. It was up to the third team to bring it all together and finish the remaining painting and planting.

BHP’s Production Supervisor, Pyrenees Venture and member of the Inclusion and Diversity Committee Melissa Gilbert said it was “great to play an active role in the partnership between BHP and St Bart’s”.

“Getting our hands dirty and making a real contribution to eliminating homelessness in our community – it’s great to see the difference we’ve made over the three days volunteering,” she said.

BHP still aims to head back to the villas in the coming weeks to add the final touches.

One St Bart’s South Perth resident said she really loved the red paint: “it’s really nice – good choice with the paint colour. I can’t wait for the mosaics to go up”.

Watch our short video to see the volunteers in action and the big before-and-after difference the volunteering work has made in brightening up the homes of four people who have experienced homelessness.

If you would like to find out more about corporate volunteering, visit our Volunteering page.